US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will travel to the Arizona border on Thursday.
It will be McCarthy’s first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border since being elected speaker last month, ushering in a new era of divided government after a new Republican majority formally takes control of the House of Representatives. .
California Republican McCarthy will visit Cochise County and meet with Border Patrol, local law enforcement and residents, according to CJ Karamargin, District Director of Rep. Juan Siskomani, Republican Arizona. is. .
“A key takeaway here is for speakers and other members of Congress to directly assess the situation at the border and its impact on local communities,” Karamargin said.
Ciscomani, a freshman congressman from southern Arizona, responded in Spanish to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address last week. In addition, he has three other Republican freshman congressmen scheduled to join McCarthy’s visit. Rep. Lori Chavez Delemar (Oregon), Rep. Jen Kigans (Virginia), and Rep. Derrick Van Oden (Wisconsin).
Karamargin said the visit will include a briefing with an agent in the Tucson sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, which covers most of the Arizona border with Mexico, and an aerial tour of the Cochise County border.
The situation along the U.S.-Mexico border, where thousands of migrants seeking asylum hit record numbers over the past year, continues to be political fodder, especially for Republicans.
They criticize the Biden administration’s handling of borders, particularly the federal government’s power to parole large numbers of immigrants into the country, and ongoing concerns about fentanyl smuggling.
Since taking control of the House, Republicans have raised the issue of border security. His two House committees held hearings last week on the situation along the U.S.-Mexico border. They covered the testimony of Tucson District Chief His Patrol Agent John Modlin and Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dunnells.
Even before he was sworn into office, many lawmakers vowed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas, claiming he had ceded control of the border to humans and drug smugglers. No serious efforts are underway in the House to remove the
Any news tips or story ideas about immigration in the Southwest? Contact reporters atrafael.carranza@arizonarepublic.comor follow him on Twitter@RafaelCarranza.
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